Jealousy is Poison
by Kanan
Summary: Someone has been watching, and times of peace may not be over. The ronins will soon learn that jealousy can bring out the worst in anyone. And what else? A lover's betrayal? Will Ryo be able to handle it? hope you enjoy
1. Chapter 1

Ryo of Wildfire… what a peculiar little creature. He moves with the grace and agility of a wild feline; it's almost seductive how he moves, whether it be tight and rough during a battle, or loose and relaxed on a sofa…. He is even quite amusing when he sleeps. He barely snores- a favorable quality- but when he's deep in sleep, he's positively luscious. His muscles flex reflexively, his toes curl ever so slightly, and his soft mouth hangs open only slightly…. So cute.

She had no idea how attractive one boy could be! Sure, she'd seen lots of them in her time, but none of them were quite like this one. None of them looked away like him, pouting at being caught; none of them could scowl or yell with the burning hot intensity of a raging blaze, or even purr with such sweet softness; none of them could shyly blush like him… none of them were Ryo.

Watching him lie there in bed, lightly tossing, she licked her lips. He was even cute when he was in pain. Somehow, she loved that the most! She just had to see even more… Smiling Kayura spoke quietly to herself through the darkness.

"Ryo of Wildfire… I must have you."


	2. Chapter 2

Ryo just couldn't take it anymore… no matter how far he ran, he just couldn't escape! Soldiers were everywhere, closing in around him, relentless. He swung his swords, but they only cut air, and his strength was quickly leaving him. His shoulders ached and his arms tingled… the tired ronin would barely swing his arms anymore, but he doubted he could have loosened the death grip he had on his weapons.

Out of nowhere, something went flying, cracking against the back of Ryo's head, sending stars to his already weary eyes. He stumbled in a cloudy haze for a moment longer before he felt one of the many dynasty soldiers crash into his chest, sending him to the rocky ground. Before he could even take a breath, several more of them were on top of him, preventing him from moving. Though he struggled against them, he knew he was trapped.

'At least I have armor on' he thought to himself, but not a moment later after their spears crashed down onto his protected body did he hear a discouraging crack. The red armor around him was failing him! The dynasty soldiers continued their assault until one of them managed to stab straight into him, staining the wildfire armor with a new kind of red. Ryo yelled out as loud as his tired lungs could, but still, he was unable to get away from the demons that were tearing at his body and face. Black firm hands came at him, suddenly, wrapping about his neck in an unrelenting grasp. He could hardly see now, but he managed to focus on the pain, and a sickening, seductive smile… that was all he could pick up before unconsciousness claimed him.

--

Ryo bolted awake so fast it made his vision swim. As he sat there, trying to catch his breath, the raven-haired ronin was in shock. He still saw the horrible attacks and felt the sting of their blades as a numb tingle against his skin. The exhaustion was the same, though, and he could not forget the ache in his muscles… the pain… the pain was so horrible! Not again… he'd dreamt about it again… his death.

Ryo could feel tears coming to his already swollen eyes and he leaned over his bent knees, trying to will them away, and bring his sanity back to him. He'd continued to have that same dream for nearly a month already, and the sleep deprivation was quickly wearing him down, leaving him weak. But at least this night, he wasn't alone, and his shaking awoke his bedmate. Mia yawned and looked up, wondering what had awoken her.

"Ryo?"

When her lover didn't respond, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and saw him. It was strange that he should be awake at such an hour… When she set a hand on his shoulder t question him, he jumped, quite unexpectedly. She was careful to go slower the next time she tried, and after a moment, he seemed to relax.

"Ryo, baby, what's wrong?"

With a sniffle, the tired ronin listed his head to look at her. He could barely choke out "Mia" through his tears and sobs. Mia could see he was terribly upset, and recalled how quiet he had been of late, and she let her fingers softly slide over the smooth, yet scarred sin of his back. The motion seemed to help calm him, and soon, he wiped away his tears and looked her in the eyes.

"Mia… I'm sorry for waking you." He said quietly and guilt-ridden.

"It's all right." She assured him. "But what happened? Y looked so afraid just now."

"A dream…" He said slowly, before lightly shaking his head. "No, a horrible nightmare. The soldiers… they were everywhere! They were…. They were-" he gulped loudy as he tried to steady his voice, "-on top of me, and all around, cracking open my armor, and--"

Mia silenced him with two fingers over his lips. She turned his pink face towards him, a comforting smile ready for him, and slowly but lovingly brought their lips together. It was soft and sweet and innocent… just what the ronin leader needed. When they pulled apart Ryo was blushing. Her mouth had been so hot, and the taste of her lips lingered, and his mind was led temporarily into a mindless fog.

"It was only a bad dream, Ryo… Just a dream." But Ryo shook his head at her, mind clearing. "But it felt so real… I could feel everything, and even smell…" He trailed off there and thought about what he was thinking of revealing. He resigned to keep it to himself, as not to frighten his lover. She didn't need to know that he could recognize the smell of blood and death. So, instead of scaring her, he put on a tired smile, feeling much better that her hands were still caressing against his heated skin.

"Mia, I'm so glad you're here with me now…"

"Me, too, Ryo." Somewhat hungrily, Ryo brought his lips back to Mia's, already missing the closeness and warmth for another body. Together, they parted and slipped back down under their warm covers. Mia contented herself with running her long, slim fingers through Ryo's unruly black locks as his head lay down on her shoulder, body pressed close. He sighed as she played with his hair, and she made a soft noise as he tiredly, but lovingly ran his free hand down her side, loving the feel of her silk nightgown over his fingers. Mia just had to smile.

Ryo was just like an affectionate kitten, always looking for attention. He absolutely loved being petted and stroked… she had to wonder if he had been starved of it until then. That thought made her want to give everything she had to fill him up. But, still, she knew something was wrong. Even Ryo didn't cry over nothing at all. That made it even harder for her to tell him the news, but she had to do it now or never, and at the moment, he was calm. She had to tell him.

"Ryo, baby?"

"Mm?" He muttered sleepily, his breath hot against her body.

"I… need to leave for a bit." His hand stopped moving.

"Wut…?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I was asked to help with an exhibition coming up this weekend. In England. I need to fly out early in the morning."

"Nooooooooo…: Ryo whinend cutely, wrapping his arms around her waist. She couldn't contain the giggle as he shook his head against her in protest. She didn't want to disturb him, but his bangs were tickling her exposed collarbone, so she put her hands on the base of his neck to still his head. He did stop moving, and he let her go enough to rest on his arms, hovering over her and pouting.

"Mia, I don't want you to go away so soon… You just got back from a trip a couple days ago!"

"I know, Ryo, but a friend of mine asked me to come… It would have been rude of me to just say no."

"Mm…" His pout only grew, but she tried to smile as she rose just high enough to place a lazy kiss on his cheek. It was enough to convince him to lie back down against her again, and she went back to playing with his hair.

"It's only for a few days, Ryo. Then I'll be right back here where I belong."

"Hope so." He said before placing a soft kiss on her shoulder and closing his eyes to sleep again.

"I love you, Mia."

Funny… he must have fallen asleep right away, for he didn't hear her repeat it back.


	3. Chapter 3

When Ryo awoke the next morning, he was alone in a cold bed. He disliked it when Mia was called away for this or that, but it wasn't like he didn't like the one-on-one time with the guys! It seemed like the five of them had been together forever, and they mostly got along well enough, especially since fighting side-by-side through thick and thin in their campaign against Talpa.

Ryo paused in the middle of zipping up his pants, startled when the memory of his dream came rushing back to him. Sure, a lot of times, Ryo thought that the dynasty would destroy him, but they hadn't. He was alive, and so were the others, but the memory of death and destruction were too great to just leave it at that. He finished dressing and quickly left his room. Right away, he could hear their voiced, and once he walked down the staircase, he was reassured. Everyone was still there… They all greeted him as he entered the room and then continued the wrestling match they were apparently having over the tv remote. Ryo smiled.

Much to his relief, the first could of days without Mia went just fine, though each new day was becoming increasingly difficult. Ryo's nightmares were escalating in intensity, and put him on edge to the point where he was spacy and tired all the time. The others tried asking him what was wrong, but he was too horrified to say anything, and he did not want to bother them with something none of them could stop. The third night alone, though, was by far the most disturbing. Most of it was the same, him fighting, being knocked down and slashed at by the enemy, but then it changed. For no real reason at all, all the soldiers disappeared, leaving the ravished ronin to bleed out onto the dried Earth.

He was really hurting… everytime he had this dream, the pain was always worse, and poor Ryo felt as though he were an inch from truly dying. But just as his eyes began to close, ready to accept his end, he heard a voice call out to him. It was soft-spoken and sweet… Ryo wanted so much to see the face it belonged to, and he forced his heavy eyelids to open. His heart lifted up, seeing the one person who could bring him out of the darkness, kneeling right beside him.

"M-Mia…"

His voice was cracked and his body was broken so badly, he could barely raise his left arm towards her. It shook, and his armor clattered from the movement, but he needed to touch her, to feel her warmth against him once ore. But no heat could reach his chilling body, and it brought tears to his eyes.

"Mia… Oh Mia…"

Strange how she was just sitting there. She could obviously see how much he was hurting, but even as his terribly shaking hand settled on her cheek, her expression did not change. Tears hopelessly fell from the dying ronin's eyes, and finally, she moved.

"Ryo."

She spoke his name as a whisper and rose her hand and laid it over his own as she slowly leaned forward. Blood immediately drained into Ryo's face, feeling Mia coming so close to him, and he could not stop his eyes from slitting almost closed. Her lips were so close to his; so close, so warm and soft… He wanted to beg her to close the distance, but she didn't. She stayed just far enough that the ronin could not reach her hot mouth. Quite surprisingly, she pulled away, instead, and finally looked the ronin over.

Ryo was disappointed, but also confused. He watched at a loss as her free hand reached out to touch the cracks in his armor. Her hand moved up his right arm, then down across his chest, and Ryo blushed as she went lower until it stopped, resting on his lower thigh. An odd feeling started to pool in the center of Ryo's body as he watched her trace her fingers over the shattered pieces of red.

She looked up, then, and suddenly, the eerie feeling exploded! She grinned darkly, and a moment later, a sharp, icy spike shot up from under him and pierced through his armor and muscle, drawing a rough scream from Ryo. He couldn't believe the incredible pain he was feeling… far worse than any he had ever felt before! He felt the ice spread through his insides from the piercing and It burned worse than the molten of a volcano. Once the initial pain started to fade into a dull throb, he managed to barely open his eyes, and through his clenched teeth and a stream of thick blood, he choked.

"M-Mia… what? Why are you…"

But she was acting like nothing had happened, sitting there with her hand against his on her face. As a response to his query, she pulled his unresisting hand away and stretched it out on the ground next to him. Fearful blue eyes widened as he saw her reaching for his abandoned sword, and before he knew it, she had it pressed against a crack in his armored arm.

"Mia, please….d-don't…!" But she smiled again.

"I don't need you anymore. Wildfire, goodbye." And she thrust it downward.

--

Once more, Ryo awoke in a cold sweat. The room was spinning, but that was the least of his worries. He just couldn't believe his mind… Mia? Why would she want to… NO, he didn't want to think about that. He brought a hand up to his sweat-coated forehead and tried to force down the sick feeling rising from his stomach as he peered over at the clock beside his bed. It was only three in the morning… but he wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon. So, he pushed his body out of bed, dressed as warmly as he could and dragged himself downstairs to sit on the sofa.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: It occurred to me just the other day that I forgot to add a disclaimer to this fic! Oh nooooes! So, here it is- I don't own Ronin Warriors in all their angsty hotness!

When Cye awoke and walked downstairs at six 'o clock in the morning, he expected to be the next to only one awake. Sage usually started his day off just as early, and the two of them could enjoy the silence together before the rest woke up; but as he descended the staircase, he noticed that Sage… wasn't alone. Said blonde looked up at him from his spot on the sofa next to Ryo as he walked closer.

"What's going on, Sage? Ryo?" Their leader made no move, and Sage shook his head.

"He hasn't said yet. Could you bring out some tea?"

"Um, sure."

Cye left without prying and went straight to making tea. As soon as he set the water to boil, he left the kitchen and passed by the eerily quiet living room to climb back up the stairs. Kento had been having a nice dream before Cye lightly shook him awake. The semi-heavily built ronin rolled over groggily and blinked up at his roommate and best friend.

"Cye? Why'd ya wake me up, man? Is breakfast ready yet?"

"Not quite…" Kento always liked to start out the day with humor, but the worried look on Cye's face and his soft, anxious tone was nothing to joke about. Seeing how concerned he was, Kento pushed himself up in bed and got his act together. He set a hand on Cye's arm for comfort, but Cye stepped slightly away. He was really worried.

"Buddy, what is it?"

"Something's… not right with Ryo." That was all Kento needed to get himself up, and Cye went back to the door. Before walking out, he turned his head slightly back.

"Could you wake Rowen up, too?"

"Yeah, sure."

It was amazing… usually Rowen was not an easy guy to deal with in the morning, but when Kento waltzed in and repeated what he'd heard from Cye, the blunette (Rowen) was up and about without a fuss. And he must have gotten ready double-time, because when Cye was finishing up the tea, he heard more voices and heavy feet pad into the living room to greet each other. Seeing as they were all together now, the brit quickly prepared the cups of spiced tea and brought it out on a tray. Most of the sitting places were taken up by the others, but Cye didn't mind. When it came to Mia's house, everyone had their own little spots. Smiling sadly, Cye passed the tea out and took the empty seat on the other side of Ryo.

Said teen was sitting with his head resting down on his hands, but the group didn't need to see his face to know he was exhausted. His spirit and the diminishing flame in their bond was giving it away. Gently, Cye laid a hand on Ryo's shoulder and held out his cup.

"Here, Ryo, this will make you feel better."

Slowly, Ryo rose his head, revealing dark circles under dark lashes, and hazy eyes. In his mind, he doubted the tea would make him feel better, but he didn't want to offend Cye, and he was thirsty, so he graciously took it and took a sip. Everyone unconsciously leaned forward, waiting to see how Ryo would respond, and it made Ryo slightly nervous to know he was being watched so intensely. As he brought the cup away from his chapped lips, however, he was grateful for the heat of the liquid now running through his body, and without noticing it, he licked his lips.

"It… tastes different. Sweet…"

"Mm-hmm. I added honey."

"…I like honey." And he took another sip.

Cye was a smart guy, and he knew from a previous experience that Ryo liked honey. A lot. He was one of the best when it came to cheering people up, and everyone was grateful and comforted to see Ryo finally start to relax against the couch and Cye's arm- which he was laying across the top of the sofa. Once Ryo was more awake, however, he remembered that he was being stared at, and he lowered his half-empty cup to his lap.

"I…guess you want an explanation now, huh?"

"It would help." Rowen commented, somewhat comically. Sage, ever careful of their team's health, leaned over and examined Ryo's face more clearly.

"You look absolutely awful, Ryo. What time did you wake up?"

"About… three hours ago."

"Geeze."

"But a mere three hours wouldn't put you in this ragged state. What's going on?"

"….I…" Ryo was hesitant to tell them, like with Mia, but Kento flashed him a comforting "big brother will protect you" smile.

"Whatever it is, Ryo, just tell us! We wanna help!"

"The big guy's right! Shoot, dude."

Reassured but still hesitant, Ryo nodded his head and lowered his head to stare into the sweet swirls of his tea.

"Truthfully, I haven't… slept well. …Not for this whole month."

"Why not?" They weren't judging him, forcing him… it was a welcome kind of feeling, caringly leading him on.

"I've been having these nightmares… and they've only been getting worse." Ryo proceded to tell his friends the details of his night terrors, including the one he had just had that past night. By the time he was done, the room was silent once more. Ryo was starting to regret his decision to tell them. Cye had a hand over his mouth, and the others simply stared. Kento opened his mouth once, but no sound would come out. I mean, really, what could they say but-

"That's… out there." Thanks, Rowen. Really.

"Ryo, your dreams… no wonder you're upset!" Cye gasped out from behind his hand.

"I know…" Sage had to put something in. "Ryo, you know that will never really happen, don't you?" Ryo met one violet eye.

"But, Sage… Mia said she didn't need me anymore."

"Why would the real Mia say something like that? She adores you!" Rowen added again.

"Yeah, I guess- but last night before she left, she didn't say she loved me back! She always said it before, but…"

"She probably did," Rowen defended, "but you were too tired to notice!"

"Ro's right, Ryo. You and Mia are, like, the perfect couple! How could she leave such a great guy like you?"

"Let alone hurt you! Ryo… you've been through a whole lot lately, and the fight with Talpa really hit you hard, we know! But you're making something out of nothing!" Cye tightened a hold around Ryo's shoulders. "These dreams are just in your head- maybe pent up fear from those battles. They're only images."

"But they make my nerves tingle and my body hurt. I woke up earlier, with a nasty cramp in my leg and a splitting headache! How can it just be in my head?!"

"Ryo, listen," Sage interjected again, removing the now-cold tea from Ryo, "if your mind believes that what you are seeing is real, then it will send signals across your body and cause you pain. The next time you have that dream, try hard to tell yourself it isn't real; to ignore it and wake up. Can you do that?"

"And if it still hurts, come to us. We'll help you."

Ryo could feel comfort mixed with concern fill the room around him, and he could only manage a nod before all those feelings crashed into him, bringing tears to his eyes. Cye was still with him, though, and he let Ryo cradle his head against him as he let it all out. None of them even made a move until Ryo was feeling better.


	5. Chapter 5

Ryo really was in a better mood as the day carried on. He ate a good breakfast, and even had the energy for a mid-afternoon sparring session with the guys- though, they knew to take it easier with him while he was suffering from sleep deprivation. But even still, he was tactile and smooth with every motion he made. Kayura was truly impressed.

Even when hurting, he continued fighting on, and when there were brief periods of peace, all Ryo could think about was when the next fight would break out. He was a creature of battle and habit, and it was appealing to the maiden. She wondered if he was thinking that as he stood under the burning shower, hands sprawled over the tiled wall as he let the scalding liquid cascade down over him. If he could, the warrior would probably rather bathe in flames.

The skin of his back was soft, despite the numerous battle scars which marred the patch of deep-tanned skin and Kayura could not turn her eyes away from the sight of him. It was sensual how he rolled his shoulderblades, those strong muscles tensing and stretching the light-colored scars on honey skin. Kayura licked her lips.

A chill suddenly shot down Ryo's spine, and he opened his eyes, jerking his heavy, soaked hair about as he searched the area.for some reason, he could feel eyes on him, but even though there was nobody around, he could feel a deep blush creep up to burn his cheeks. He was starting to feel very uncomfortable, so he quickly finished washing himself and lef the bathroom. Once in his room, he took another look around before getting dressed. White Blaze watched from the carpet as his master ran a towel through his hair before falling backwards onto his bed.

He could have sworn it had been a mess when he had left it that morning, although, it seems there was always a little creature going around fixing things up behind the guy's backs. –coughCyecough- Still, Ryo was grateful that he didn't have to exert himself in fixing his bed, because once his head hit the pillow, he didn't want to move. His eyes felt heavy and his body was weighted to the mattress, but still, he was terrified of the thought of sleep and being stuck in that dream again. Sighing, he turned his head. On his nightstand, he spotted a framed picture of Mia and himself sitting on a brick wall near the beach- their last vacation. It was a nice, bright day, and expect for Rowen getting a nasty sunburn, everyone had fun. Mia just looked so beautiful that day…

Ryo frowned. He missed Mia already. She had only been gone a few days, and he expected her back in the morning, but for some reason, he just didn't think he could wait. He was starting to close his eyes as he heard a faint "I love you" echo across his skin.

It was getting dark when Ryo opened his eyes again with a feeling of anxiety running through his blood. Oddly enough, he could not recall what had woken him, but given the sheen of sweat on his body, it could have been a nightmare.

"But… I don't remember it." He thought about it for a moment before smiling.

"That's good, I hope. Maybe the guys were right." He had a smile on his face as he climbed out of bed, and ran a comb through his hair before going back downstairs. Apparently, Sage was organizing a portfolio, Cye and Kento were playing cards, and Rowen was flipping through channels on the television. …So typical, but refreshing! The tiger-eyed boy was about to walk past them to the kitchen when a very familiar face flashed onto the screen in-between Rowen's browsing. He had turned his head to talk to Kento and hadn't seen it, but Ryo had. He nearly screamed as he ran to the back of the couch.

"Rowen, turn it back!"

"Mm? what for?"

"Just do it, okay?"

Rowen shrugged his shoulders and everyone looked up as he started flipping back the other way. None of them had expected to see Mia on the screen of the international channel.

"Mia…! Look guys, it's Mia!"

"So it is."

"Huh. I didn't know that exhibit was going to be televised. How nice!"

Ryo was happy to see her, and paid no attention to the announcement an old man was making, but then, he noticed something. She was standing… next to a semi-older guy, and he, though Ryo didn't want to admit it, wasn't bad-looking. Who was he? Just a random person? He decided he should start paying attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "I would like to offer you my thanks for making this historical exhibition so special! It was my family's dream to see these ancient artifacts respected and shared with the world…"

"Someone likes the sound of his own voice." Rowen laughed.

"No kidding."

"Shh!" Cye hushed.

"And I must say, though this was a complete success, I couldn't have been happier just to have my dear Miss Mia Koji here at my side!"

"Mia's friend is a GUY?" Rowen gawked.

The hair on the back of Ryo's neck stood on end as the stranger reached his hand out, and Mia took it. He pulled her up close to him and entwined their fingers together.

"Thank you, my dear… this means the world to me!" Everyone held their breaths as he leaned in close to her, and pressed his lips to her skin. If she hadn't turned her head right then, he would have caught her lips, and all of them knew that would be bad. As is, they could feel the room heating up, and they turned to Ryo, only to see that the color was fading from his face, as opposed to how red it got when he was angry. It looked as if he was going to freak out, so Kento gave Rowen the signal.

"Turn that off, dude! Geeze."

Rowen obliged and the screen went blank. Several moments of silence passed and Ryo hadn't moved an inch. The guys were eager to calm him down, but they had to tread carefully. Although, Kento didn't quite understand something.

"Guys? It looked nice and bright in that report, but it's dark outside right now! What gives? Was it a fake or something?" Cye shook his head.

"No, Kento. They're simply in another time zone."

"He's right." Rowen agreed, "In England right now, it's a different time of day than here."

"Oh…"

"….Mia…." Sage stepped up to the plate.

"Ryo, try not to think about it too much."

"But why didn't she tell me? She could have just…"

"She probably forgot, Ryo, that's all! I'm sure that kiss didn't mean anything! Or holding hands, or the sweet words…"

"Cye, dude, better just stop right there." Kento was right.

But Ryo was not nearly convinced yet, and he put on an anxious face as he marched out of the room. Several eyes followed him around the corner and saw him standing at the phone, dialing a number. The phone rang and Ryo waited… nobody picked up. Ryo knew the number, and he was sure he hadn't been dialing it wrong, so he tried again… After nearly two hours, he was still standing there at the phone, becoming more anxious by the minute. Where was she? Why wasn't she answering her cell phone? And… how long was he willing to keep trying to reach her? Ryo didn't have an answer, he could barely keep himself together as he listened to the ringing of the phone.

His stomach growled, and his legs protested the stiff position he was standing in, but he was determined to hear Mia's voice. And just when his hope was waning, there was a click on the other end and voices. The leader's eyes widened with hope… until he heard a man's voice over the line. He recognized it from the television.

"Moshi moshi. Mia Koji's phone!" Though he had answered it, Ryo could faintly hear Mia's voice nearby.

"I'm calling for Mia." He said in a flat tone, trying not to sound angry.

"And who is this?"

"Who are YOU?! I'm her BOYFRIEN-"

"Hello? This is Mia!" Ryo stopped. Hehad intended to yell, but hearing Mia's smoothe voice over the phone had an amazing calming affect on him.

"Hello?" Ryo took a deep breath to rid his voice of anger or jealousy before bringing the receiver back to his head.

"Mia."

"Ah! Ryo! I didn't expect you to call, honey! How are you?"

"I… I'm okay, Mia! How about you?" He asked back in almost a weak tone.

"That's wonderful! I'm good, too!" She laughed. Her laugh was so cute, he thought… but there were a lot of other voices around her, and Ryo didn't understand.

"Mia, are you at a party or something?"

"Well, yeah." She said, almost shyly. "It's the final exhibition day, so we thought we'd go out with a bang!" Ryo nearly paled at the words "go out". Mia called his name, but he couldn't answer right away- he had to find his voice.

"Ryo, dear, is something wrong?"

"Um… U-um, no. I hope you're having fun." He half lied. "But I'm glad you'll be coming home tomorrow! Maybe we should throw our own party!"

"Oh… um… about that." She was the quiet one this time, and Ryo was terrified. He'd never heard her sound so unsure before.

"…M-Mia? What is it? You ARE coming home, right?"

"Well, eventually, yes, but… you see, my friend offered to show me around London, and we've been so busy, we haven't had time for some sight-seeing, so…"

"You're friend?" That guy's face flashed before Ryo's eyes as he let his head fall down. "You mean that guy. The one that…"

"Ryo? Are you okay?" Am I okay with you not coming right home? Am I okay with you spending time in London? No… but I am NOT okay with you spending time away with some other guy! He wanted to yell it to high heaven, but he had to keep his emotions in check, so he choked out an even "fine."

"Anyway, Ryo, I promise it wont be a long trip! I hope to be back in about a week! Oh, they're calling for me. I've got to go, baby. Take care, bye!"

"Mia, wai-" But the line went dead. Mia hung up on him… she hung up… Ryo stood with the phone still to his ear in absolute horror. She'd never hung up on him like that before, and not once did she mention that her friend was a guy, even then… Was she keeping secrets from him? Why would she do that, unless…

--

Before he knew it, Cye could hear the roaring of Ryo's motorcycle zipping out of the garage and down the road. He just barely caught a glimpse of his retreating back through the window. Ryo hadn't mentioned leaving the house, and it was starting to get dark, too! Where could he be going…?


	6. Chapter 6

Mia… Mia… Mia…. That's all Ryo could think about as he sped down the darkening roads leading off the secluded mountainside where he and the other ronin warriors had been staying for so very long. They'd spent nearly all their time there, fighting together, learning together, being together… and now this! Mia… she'd never acted like that before, especially towards him, and to think, for no reason at all, he was losing her?! …Was there a reason? The distressed teen thought about it as he whizzed around corners and obstacles in his way, almost driving on automatic. He just couldn't focus.

Had he done something to upset Mia, somehow? What could he have done to make her want to leave him without any notice? Did he say anything rude lately? Not that he could think of. Did he do something bad? …Well, he did sneak into her bed some nights, but she never seemed troubled by it, and she really looked like she enjoyed his company! What about… no… no, no, no! He couldn't think of anything he'd done wrong!

…At least… not since he'd been partly responsible for her grandfather's death. The raven-haired teen frowned. Could she have been blaming him for that this whole time? Was she keeping all her pain inside, and while she smiled, was she secretly glaring? Did she…. Hate him for that? When he'd asked before, she shook her head and denied that she blamed him, but what if it was all an act? He wondered and berated himself, but somehow, that just didn't fit, either. After all the time they've spent in their crusade, and after all the nights they'd shared in each other's arms… it couldn't be right. Maybe he was thinking too hard about it. Unconsciously, he sped up, looking around without really seeing. He knew where he was, and he knew there was a dangerous corner coming up, and yet he just kept going faster.

The image of Mia flashed before his eyes, and then, much to his horror, so did the older man he'd seen on the television. He remembered the look in his eyes as 

he'd kissed Mia, and though it was on the cheek, there was a look that meant so much more, and it made Ryo's heart speed up its pace. After that, he could not block the images of him bringing Mia closer, holding her, their eyes meeting… lips touching. And then he was closer to her, exploring, caressing, and-

- HOOOOONK! –

The images faded away again, and a bright light blinded Ryo from the front. If he hadn't heard the truck's horn, he would have had no warning. He was so far gone… and he was going to pay for his lack of caution. He only had a split second to veer his bike back onto the right ride of the street, and he could almost feel the cold metal of the truck as he brushed against the side of it. The contact and sudden wave of dizziness was too much, and Ryo could not maintain control of his bike. It wobbled, still going at great speed, and tipped…

Ryo's yell fell on dead ears as he was drug under the weight of his sliding bike a number of feet before he was pushed away from it. It crashed into the railing with an unnatural screech, and it was the only sound for a while. Ryo didn't feel like moving. In fact, his head was completely in a fog. It was really dark now, cold was starting to surround him. Had he lost consciousness? How long was he out, and how bad was… He chanced an upward glance at his bike, to find it in not too horrible condition. The paint on one side was scratched up pretty bad, and some of the parts were missing. Shoot. He doubted it would run after a crash like that.

Although, if his bike was that trashed and his body wasn't nearly as protected… shoot! Okay, calm down, Ryo… make sure you're still in one piece, first. He moved his fingers, arms, neck…. Nothing wrong, there. But when he tried to move his legs, he was rewarded with pain. His right one hurt so much, he was afraid to look down, but he knew he had to, so he carefully removed his helmet and pushed it aside as he looked down his body. His pants were badly torn, and the bottom of 

his shirt, too, and his leg… oh, god, his leg. There were several long tears down the side, and he saw blood seep from cuts that, no doubt, were a mix from the bike and the solid concrete. At least nothing was broken, and he had all his limbs, he thought. But walking proved difficult the first time he tried. It hurt so much, he was forced back to the ground to whimper. He knew he screwed up. He knew this corner was treacherous, and he didn't pay attention to the oncoming traffic, and now he was sitting on the side of the road, bleeding and cold. He feared the scolding he would get, but he needed help, and so he reached into his pockets.

The last bit of color faded from his face as he found his pockets empty. In his anxious and angry state, he'd forgotten to bring his cell with him, as well as his armor orb. Now, on top of everything else, he was alone.

"Oh, man… I messed up. Oh!" He grabbed his leg. "I messed up BAD! Guys, White Blaze, Mia…. Somebody…"

But nobody would come for him. None of them knew what he had done or where he was, so he was pretty much screwed. Not able to contain his frustrated sobs any longer, the injured teen leader laid his head on his knees and cried to himself. It wasn't too much longer that the need to move became more urgent, seeing as dark clouds were forming just above him. By the time he finally lifted his head, a light rain was coming down, and it promised to only get heavier. Ryo cursed his terrible luck, even though he could not help but think, in some cruel, ironic way, he deserved it. So, doing the only thing he could, he forced his hurt body to move, pulled his wreaked motorcycle up and started pushing it up the soon-to-be slippery mountain road.

He'd gone one mile, then two, but before he could reach the 3 mile marker, he had to stop. The rain was coming down in sheets, and he could hardly see six 

inches in front of his face. It all seemed like a futile effort, a lose-lose situation… but as he looked up, for the first time that day, fortune smiled on him. Some yards up, he could see a faint light breaking through the rain and dark, almost seeming to reach out to him. That's right… he remembered a small alcove in the side of the mountain path where a rest-stop had been built. It was this little, run-down wooden shed- more or less- but it was a godsend to Ryo, and he tried to hurry to it before his legs gave out.

He reached it in such a haste that he had to stop and remind himself to breathe. The light from the lantern was so bright, it almost stung his eyes, but he could at least rest assured for a while. Those things usually had an emergency phone inside, and a first aid kit, if he was lucky. Although, when he reached out to the handle, a strange feeling passed over him, as if he believed someone would be in there waiting for him. He didn't want to be alone when he was in such bad shape, so he hoped beyond reason for some company, but it was dark and late, and as he had rationally thought, it was empty. But still, it was dry. He left his bike just outside under the extended roof to keep it semi-dry and closed the door behind him. it wasn't very warm inside, but at least it was dry.

Being so dark, Ryo could hardly see, but as he stumbled inside, he found a fire pit- nearly tripped over it, in fact. That wasn't so nice. Now, on top of being cold and wet and alone, he had to try to build his own fire. But, he knew it had to be done, so he gathered some nearby scrap wood and set it in the makeshift pit. If he'd brought his armor orb with him, making a fire would be no small feat, but since he didn't, he had to improvise. Searching through his soaked-through pockets, Ryo searched around for his lighter. He didn't smoke, and didn't approve of such a nasty habit, but he liked the tiny zippo for the deep red flame decal on it. He found it without too much trouble and hoped it would still light. He flipped the lid, dropping it the first time due to his shaking hands, and tried to light it. The first few times it didn't light, but cursing at it seemed to help, and a small flame appeared. The oil inside was probably running low, so he figured he only had one 

chance to light the fire. For once, it worked, and soon, light and a small amount of warmth was reaching him.

He opened his mouth, intending to praise himself, but he was by himself, and he couldn't help but think how strange it would be. He wasn't trying to impress anyone with his skills- especially after he'd gone and done a stupid thing, getting all busted up- and there was nobody around to be embarrassed about, so… why not say anything? How strange it was. People often commented that talking to oneself in public was strange, but when they were all by themselves, they longed for conversation. Ryo could have spoken, but when he was alone, he really didn't see a point to. So, with a sigh only, he pulled his jacket closer to his body and decided to find the phone.

…

Oh, he found it, alright. But it wasn't exactly in working condition, lying three feet from its base with wires sticking out all over the place. If he were Rowen, fixing the thing would be no problem, but Ryo didn't care much for electronics. If only he'd payed attention in classes! This was just not Ryo's day, and as he sat on the single bench on the far corner of the shed, pulling his cold, wet coat against him and staring into a pitiful fire, he could only hate it. Never before had he done s many irresponsible things and made such a blunder… He was an adult now! He should have known better!

…In that darkness, there, he thought about Mia, and that made everything worse. How he missed her…


	7. Chapter 7

No one thought much of it when Ryo wandered off after seeing the report and calling Mia, and they were only moderately surprised to not see him at the dinner table, but when the clock hit 11 and Ryo still hasn't shown his face, Cye, for one, was definitely worried.

"Where could he be…?" He asked no one in particular, pacing the length of the livingroom in his warm blue sweatshirt and beige slacks. Rowen, who just happened to be sitting nearby on the warm sofa, answered without looking up from his book.

"He probably went upstairs. You know Ryo- sometimes he locks himself up in his room and cuts himself off from everyone when he's upset." Cye sighed, heading to the staircase.

"It's not one of his best traits, I'll admit…"

"Mm?" Rowen finally looked up, eyes following his friend curiously. "Where are you off to?" Cye glanced over his shoulder, soft chestnut hair cascading over one side of his face.

"I'm going to go check on our moody leader. Make sure he's okay."

"Hmm…" Rowen gave him a thoughtful look, staying silent for a moment before a grin spread over his face. "If he needs cheering up, you might consider bringing some ice cream up with you." The scholarly boy winked at him, and at the mention of ice cream, Cye's spirits lifted a little. Ice cream would cheer anyone up! Quickly, he went to the kitchen and prepared the raven haired boy's favorite ice cream sundae, a scoop of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with fudge topping, whipped cream with two juicy cherries on top. Taking that upstairs, Cye was sure Ryo would come out of his depression, at least long enough to eat, but when he knocked on the boy's bedroom door, he received no response. Cye waited a moment longer before knocking again and calling out his name, but still, nothing. The cheer that the ice cream in his hands had brought him was starting to fall flat, and his worry was settling back in.

"Ryo? Come on… wont you at least answer me? I'm sure you're just overreacting about Mia.. She loves you, and only you!" Still nothing. It wasn't like Ryo to keep silent even after a good pep talk, and he wasn't the type to let his friends worry about him that much.

"Ryo, please come out and talk to me.. Look!" He held up the sundae, even though he knew no one could see it through a closed door. "I brought you ice cream! It looks and smells delicious! Don't you want some?" Still silence. So, Cye decided to try another tactic… "Okaaaay! If you don't want it, I'll have to give it to Kento!" From his personal experience, he knew that if someone's food was in danger of being eaten by someone else, the "owner" could become extremely protective- especially when it was desert! But even after that, no sound came from Ryo's room. This was even more worrying, so Cye decided he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and slowly opened Ryo's door. The room was dark, quiet… and empty. Before his mind could register anything else, his feet carried him in a hurry back down the stairs and into the livingroom, where the smell, and mere mention, of ice cream had brought Kento, and surprisingly, Sage in. Cye was glad he didn't have to locate the others to ask them separately.

"Does anyone know where Ryo is?" Sage looked up at him first.

"Isn't he in his room?"

"We all assumed he was." Rowen chimed in, still on the couch.

"Well, yeah, but I looked just now and he wasn't in there!"

"Calm down, Cye," Kento chided in. "Maybe he's just out for a walk or a ride or something."

"He's outside…?" All eyes then went to the window, watching the heavily falling rain just outside. "He wouldn't go out in that, would he? Not on his motorcycle…! It's too dangerous!"

"He's a good rider… I'm sure he wouldn't do anything careless." Sage responded, folding his arms.

"Yes, normally, but considering how upset he's been…?" All went silent at that point. Three sets of eyes went back to the window while one was more intent on staring at the bowl of ice cream melting in Cye's hands. Whenever the boy shifted in place, the bowl moved slightly one way or the other, and Kento's eyes did the same, not leaving the bowl of melting, sugary goodness. Eventually, Cye felt eyes on him and he turned, throwing Kento a disappointed look. Nevertheless, he handed the bowl over to him, seeing as it would be wasted otherwise. Cye wanted to scold Kento, but he knew that he was just as worried about Ryo as the rest of them, it's just that he couldn't possibly hope to focus in the presence of ice cream. So, as Kento ate, he turned back to the window and the raging storm outside.

"Ryo…"

**** ****

He was cold… all warmth was leaving him, and though his body should have become numb to it, it didn't; the cold only intensified, racking his soaked body with intense shivers. He was curled in on himself in a corner of the rickety shack, trying in vain to retain what was left of his body heat, but with his hair dripping chilled drops onto his skin and his clothes clinging to his lean form, it was all but impossible. It seemed like he'd been there for hours upon hours, but he couldn't be sure how much time had actually passed. Weakly, he forced himself to open his eyes, peering out through a small hole in the side of the shack to peer through the pouring rain in order to see the sky; however, it was still very dark outside, and even if it were daytime, there was no way the sun would be able to pierce through the thick clouds and reach and warm him. His eyes fell closed again and he hugged his arms tighter to him.

Ryo hated this; he hated every part of it. He hated letting his emotions get the better of him; he hated losing his cool; he hated his recklessness, which led to him trashing himself; he hated the pain in his leg and the cold air stealing his warmth, and he especially hated the shack he was in, which was offensive to all his senses. The sounds of the rain pounding on the top and sides of the shack were so intense, he half wondered if the force of them would destroy it and carry it away, for, by the smell, it was composed of nothing but broken, rotting slabs of dirty wood that splintered as he rested against it. The smell of the place, not unlike that of rotting animal flesh left behind on the side of the road, was so strong Ryo could almost taste it. The thought of roadkill sent a shiver down Ryo's spine. The shack… it reeked of death. Would he also die there and add to the already unbearable stench, waiting to assault the nose of the next unlucky loser that happened to wander in out of the rain? The thought of it was awfully morbid, but it wasn't unlike what he deserved. He was a horrible person, or so he thought in his hazy state of self loathing; he would have grinned at his fate, the hand that karma dealt for him, if he weren't so tired. The notion of sleep was all too comforting, but not there. He didn't want to fall asleep in such an unhappy place; no, he longed for his own warm bed with the silk sheets and the pillow with his name engraved in it, or at the very least, a large, fluffy, warm tiger to snuggle up against.

His bed… no, it wasn't just his bed he missed, for when he was sleeping in it alone, after having spent so much time lying next to someone, it seemed almost cold. No, he longed for the warmth that only Mia could offer. It hadn't been long since she left, but even now, he was having trouble remembering the feel of her soft hair, the strength of her arms winding around him, the gentle touch of her lips… Tears formed in his eyes as he thought about her. He wanted her near him so badly, he could hardly stand it, but she wasn't there with him, in her home which she so graciously opened up to them, not in his bed, and especially not in that poor excuse for cover which he was stranded in, unable to leave. He wanted to feel her… Ryo closed his eyes and tried to remember how it felt to have her near, and for a moment, he thought he could. His cheek felt only a bit warmer than before, but it couldn't have been real. Much to his surprise, he felt it again, a soft brush of warm lips across his cheek. The thoughts "oh great, now I'm delusional" passed through his mind, but he couldn't be, because in the next moment, he felt undeniable proof that he wasn't alone as someone's arms wrapped around his shivering body.

The raven haired boy's eyes shot open, body jolting as he tried to determine, through his blurry vision, who was holding him, but as his eyes cleared, the surprise only intensified. The one whose arms wound tightly around him, the one whose lips so delicately and lovingly graced his cheek was none other than Mia. Her soft eyes were on him, showing worry and love. Ryo's eyes continues to shed tears of both joy and sorrow, and he wrapped his stiff arms around her without even questioning how she found him, why she was there, or why she wasn't the least bit wet given the storm outside. He just wanted to hold her and never let her go, clinging tightly, and she stroked his back and combed her fingers through his hair, not speaking or minding his actions. Weakly, he croaked out her name, his voice strained and raw.

"M-Mia… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… p..please forgive me…." She continued petting him, still silent, and even just that comforted him, relaxed him. As he started calming down, she pulled him a little closer, and a faint blush graced his cheeks, feeling the warmth of her breasts against his face. He missed that.. but something about it seemed different. But, he thought, he was tired, weak, and hurting, so he brushed off his suspicions, only wanting to enjoy her closeness.

"Mia… I love you…"

Finally, she started to pull away, which disappointed Ryo, at least until she sunk down to his level, cupped his face, and pressed her lips against his. This was pleasant stimulation, and Ryo didn't hesitate to return her affection, meeting her lips with equal intensity. He was quickly starting to regain some of his warmth, especially as she got closer to him, rubbing against him. Eventually, though he, himself, wasn't aware of how it happened, Ryo ended up on his back in the mud, shirtless, with Mia straddled on top of him. Leaning down, she softly kissed and nipped at his neck, eventually biting down and giving him a slightly painful hickey on his left arm, and a softer one on his neck. During all this, Ryo's mind wouldn't stop thinking that something was off. For one, Mia wasn't usually this forward and aggressive… and many things about her did seem off… Curiously, he tilted his head to look down at her, but the one he saw, then, wasn't Mia… The long black hair, the milky white skin, the bangles… Ryo's eyes widened.

"K… Kay…" He couldn't even get her name out. Slowly, Kayura rose her head, the widest grin stretched out over her features. She knew she'd made a major victory, ending up atop her prey.

"Hello, my little Wildfire…" She gave him a coy look, and Ryo stared at her shocked, still, until a mix of fear and addrennaline filled him up, and he somehow attained the strength to push her off of him. he tried to stand, to run, but he didn't make it very far. He fell against the side of the old shack, barely able to hold himself up, with a glare aimed at the woman.

"K-Kayura…! What are you doing…?!" The grin remained as she took a step closer to the helpless ronin.

"Why… I'm seducing you, of course."

"S-seducing me…?!" Ryo's voice cracked slightly. It was becoming harder to speak and keep himself up. "Wh-why would you…?"

"Oh my poor little wildfire…." She shook her head softly. "Isn't it obvious? I… have decided to claim you."

"Claim me…? What are you talking about?" Ryo's heart was racing; his breath was coming in short gasps; he couldn't slow it down.

"I think you know… you think I'd let someone as delightfully pitiful and beautiful as you get away?" In an instant, she went from two feet away to mere inches, fingers sliding across his bare chest and lips caressing his neck.

"And now that I've got my mark on you…" She softly touched the marks she'd made, her grin only getting wider. "…You can't escape me." And with that, she pushed him, sending him through the rotted door and out into the street. His legs wouldn't support him, and he fell, the rain falling down on him again. He rose his head to face Kayura, but she was no longer standing in the shack, nor was she anywhere around him. He sighed in relief, glad that she was gone, but ashamed at how his body was reacting to her. His relief was cut short, however, as the sound of a loud truck horn blasted to his right, and he turned his head weakly just in time for white light to engulf him.


	8. Chapter 8

The storm eventually passed, allowing the bright sun to warm the drenched earth. Birds twittered happily outside, the wind blew only softly, and all else was peaceful and calm- until the blaring noise of a small box by the bed suddenly started up. The unreasonably loud sound woke Ryo with a start. He quickly sat upright in bed, breath coming out in gasps, his body covered in a cold sweat. His whole body ached and his head was pounding, no thanks to the offensive 'BEEP BEEP BEEP!' of the box nearby. Tiredly, he extended a hand and slammed it down to silence it. Once the room was quiet again, the hand retracted and went to his head. Ryo felt completely awful. He was hurting all over, especially around his leg. Why on earth was it hurting so much? What had he done to warrant such pain? Lifting the blanket only slightly, he was suddenly assaulted with reality.

A gasp escaped his lips at seeing cuts and bruises, and a particularly nasty gash along the side of his leg. The memory of the night before rushed back to him before he could prepare himself for it. The tv report, the phone call, his reckless ride, and also… Kayura. That part seemed less like reality and more like a horrible nightmare; Kayura and him? No way… it was impossible, right? Ryo hoped it was just a dream. But then… how did he get back home? What happened after he saw that bright light? And where were his clothes? Weakly, Ryo searched along his floor, but couldn't find any sign of the clothes he had worn, and ruined, the night before. Was it the night before? How long had he been gone? There was no way of determining that, but it wasn't as important as other things, like getting some underwear on, at least. As he lifted the blanket more, preparing to somehow slip out of bed and make it to his dresser- which would have been even more difficult due to his injury- a knock came to the door followed by a quiet voice. Ryo recognized the owner of the voice immediately- Sage. Was it him who brought him back? If so, he would have to prepare himself for a lecture. Deciding that he couldn't manage to get his clothes quickly, and not wanting to keep his friend waiting, he re-covered himself and sighed, beckoning the blonde in. Sage poked his head in first, a slight look of surprise on his face, and then entered slowly. Seeing his expression, Ryo started to doubt that Sage was the one who brought him home.

"Ryo… you're actually home." He said, walking to one side of the bed, taking a seat there. "When did you get in?"

"Ah…" Hurriedly, Ryo had to come up with a lie, which he instantly felt bad for. He didn't like lying to his friends. "Really early. I… didn't exactly look at the time."

"I see. Well, we waited for you for quite some time. We were worried about you…" Sage wasn't making this easy. Ryo ached to tell Sage what he had done, but something inside him refused to allow it, not wanting to cause any of his dear friends undue worry, or to alarm them. So, he stuck to his lie and kept on going.

"I'm sorry about that… I just needed some time alone to think."

"That's alright, Ryo… I understand." Sage smiled at him genuinely, understandingly, but he didn't understand at all. Ryo had been driving and gotten in an accident, and not a foot from where he was sitting, there were wounds to prove it. Every time Sage shifted, it sent a small jolt of pain through his leg, but he tried his best to hide it. What he couldn't hide, however, was his skin, glistening from sweat, and a slight tint to his cheeks. Sage was watching him carefully as soon as he noticed this, and softly touched the boy's cheek.

"Ryo… were you out in the rain last night?"

"Wh-what?" The question sort of caught him by surprised, not that he didn't think Sage would ask, but it just seemed sort of sudden.

"Your bike is missing…"

"Um…Oh, yeah." Ryo couldn't lie his way out of that one, and he was starting to hurt so much he didn't care if his secret got out anymore. He wanted pain killers and sleep… "I got caught out in it unexpectedly… on my way to the mechanic."

"I see… In that case, you should lie back down. You feel a little warm, even for you." Carefully, Sage helped him lie back down, affectionately brushed stray hairs out of Ryo's face, and smiled again. "You just take it easy, okay?"

"Okay…" Ryo was very appreciative, as his eyelids were already starting to close, but no way would he be able to sleep with his pain from head to leg.

"Are you hungry at all?" The blonde asked, but Ryo shook his head, the movement not helping his condition.

"No, but… my head hurts…" The very sound of his own raspy, dry voice grated on his nerves, and it hurt his ears. Sage wouldn't give him the chance to strain himself any longer, placing a finger over the boy's lips to silence him.

"I understand. I'll bring you some water and pills. Just close your eyes… I'll take care of you…" Ryo nodded softly, eyelids finally giving in to the tiny invisible weights on them, and once he was comfortable, Sage left, returning moments later to help feed him water and medicine. He and the others checked in on him periodically throughout the day, but Ryo hardly woke up, too exhausted and in pain to do anything but lie there. Before he knew it, the day was gone, and he slept dreamlessly until the next morning when sun once again poured into his room, basking him with its warm glow. When Ryo opened his eyes, his head felt better, but his leg only felt worse. He couldn't feel bandages around it, so he assumed that none of the others had checked him out, one thing he was both grateful for, and worried about. He could almost feel his leg becoming infected, stinging and swelling, and it disgusted him. He had to treat it…NOW. Finally forcing his body to move, he weakly stood, almost falling several times, but using the walls, managed to trudge his way to the bathroom. He was still undressed, so he was especially thankful that no one caught him on his way there.

He sat on the toilet with cotton balls, a washcloth and antiseptics, cleaning his cuts while the tub filled. The antiseptics hurt terribly, and putting any pressure on the large gash caused him lots of pain, but he grit his teeth until he was satisfied with his work before sliding over and into the hot bath. The raven haired boy relaxed as much as he could, letting his head fall over the back of the tub, and tried to work things out in his head. As difficult as it was for him to believe what his mind recalled, the evidence was apparent. He'd fought with Kayura many times on the battlefield, and through she had been rough with all of them, he wondered if she went easiest on HIM. He could remember limping away from one of their tough battles supporting Sage, who could barely walk, and the others, save for Kento, were out cold on the steaming field, too weak to stay conscious. Now, Kayura set a trap for him, cornering him and tricking him into kissing her!

Absently, Ryo stroked one of the many marks she'd left, this one in particular on his neck, and he was disgusted by it. He'd gotten hickies before, though never from an enemy. When Sage was in the room, he should have noticed many of them, but he said nothing, did nothing… what did he think of it? Did he wave it off as nothing, or draw his own conclusions—that Ryo had left and cheated on Mia? The very thought of cheating made Ryo's temperature drop and his stomach did a backflip, and if Sage, the other guys or, god forbid, Mia ever came to that conclusion, Ryo feared he wouldn't be able to handle it. If Mia left him, if his dear friends abandoned him because of such a ridiculous misunderstanding… there was no doubt that Ryo would break. For a brief moment in his panicky mind, Ryo wondered if that was Kayura's plan: to turn the ronins against him and forever split up the ronin warriors! But that would most surely mean the end of the world as they knew it! However… what mattered more to Ryo more at that moment: preventing his friends from leaving, or keeping the world safe? Another way of putting it is this: Which would hurt him the most: losing his friends and lover, or staying with them to fight evil, but being forced to bear their scorn on his heart? That was too hard…

Truth be told, he didn't want either scenario to happen, so he knew he had to set the record straight as soon as possible. Though, could he just go right out and say it? Would they even believe him? Well, he would have to find out sooner or later anyway, so after a lengthy soak, Ryo gathered his courage and managed to lift himself out of the tub. His leg felt numb, which usually didn't mean anything food, but he was at least grateful that it wasn't hurting. He grabbed a towel from the rack—one long enough to cover most of the wound on his leg, and slowly made his way back to the confines of his room to find some concealing clothing. Again, he made the slow trek down the hall without being noticed, which, given the depressing thoughts and fears of being abandoned, was only making him nervous. Someone should have noticed him at some point, what with occasionally creaking floors and the loud sound the tub made when the water was running, but there was nothing… no hushed voices outside the bathroom door, no footsteps climbing the stairs to check on him… it was eerie. Where was everyone? Were they avoiding him? He had to find out… slipping on a pair of blue sweatpants and Ryo's favorite white shirt—the one with the white collar—and left to begin his search.

Somehow, when faced with them, the staircase seemed taller, longer, and he briefly wondered if attempting them in his condition was too dangerous. His mind was in a slight fog and his leg was just barely supporting his weight as was, but standing there at the top of the stairs, he could hear the television blaring in the living room, figuring it was Kento— Kento, Rowen and himself were the only ones who enjoyed watching sports like the loud soccer game which Ryo could hear. Though he wasn't sure if he could make it, Ryo couldn't stop now that there was a flicker of hope in the darkness, not if there was a chance he hadn't been abandoned. It was motivation enough to chance the stairs. He held tightly onto the railing taking the steps as slowly and carefully as he could, counting them as he descended. One stair, two stair, three… By the tenth stair, if he leaned slightly forward, he could see into the living room, and sure enough, there was Kento. He was standing up, hunched over slightly, hands raised up and clenched into firm fists yelling at the screen as if it would help his team play any better. A soft chuckle escaped Ryo's lips as he watched, but he was distracted, which proved idiotic as his foot gave out on the next step down, sending him tumbling down half the remaining stairs only to land him on his butt- not a graceful landing, but better than the alternatives. On the way down, he strained his leg, and without meaning to, he let a strained grunt escaped his throat, and that was enough to make Kento jump out of his skin and turn to look at him.

"Ryo…" Quickly, he turned down the game and rushed to the stairs.

"Ryo man, are you okay?" He sounded genuinely concerned, and though he put on a tough front a lot of the time, Kento really was just like a big teddy bear, an older brother figure with several siblings' worth of experience. The fact that he was acting normally, not angry or judgmental gave Ryo hope, and relieved, Ryo flashed him a sloppy smile and laughed a little at his own clumsiness.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he lied, "Just got a little dizzy and lost my footing is all!"

Kento smiled sympathetically at him.

"Well that's what ya get fer getting otuta bed so soon after bein sick, dude! Here…" Kento stepped up and gave Ryo much needed support all the way to the living room couch. There was an interesting way that Kento spoke around them; he would use broken words and slang terms, probably from a mix of those American movies he was so fond of and from visiting his uncle who ran a restraint in the states. He didn't always talk like that, though even when around his family, when he spoke Chinese or Japanese, Ryo had picked up subtle hints of this Americanized accent. It was funny… and so uniquely Kento. On the way to the couch, though he tried to hide it, Ryo limped, and though Kento wasn't always attentive, or the sharpest tool in the shed, it didn't go unnoticed. Still, the well-built young man kept it to himself until he had Ryo sitting comfortably on the soft couch.

"Didja hurt yer leg when ya fell, Ryo?" Ryo tensed at the question, but didn't want to continue lying, so he tried to come up with an answer in between the truth and a lie.

"Just a little, but it was already sore when I woke up. Maybe I slept on it wrong or something!" Somehow, telling a half-truth made him feel just as guilty as lying did.

"Ah, I hear ya, dude! I slept on my side last night, which I don't usually do, and now my shoulder is complainin!" Kento held said shoulder and rolled his arm to try and loosen the muscle. Kento was definitely normal, and it calmed Ryo a great deal—that is, until his friend plopped down heavily next to him, leant over and poked one of the hickies that the raven-haired man's shirt couldn't cover.

"So how're these doing?" This made Ryo jump a smile and slap a hand over the mark, blushing like mad. Kento looked shocked by this reaction.

"What's wrong, Ryo…?" That was it, he was busted and he knew it. There was no lying out of this one, no excuse that any rational person would believe. He knew he had to come clean, but now that he was faced with it so soon, he wasn't sure he could do it. He stumbled over his words, not sure what to say or how to explain it, but before he got out anything more than garbled words, Kento got the hint and waved it off.

"Geeze, cool down, wouldya?" He chuckled. "You don't have to say anything! Sage already explained it to us!" Ryo's first thought was 'oh God, Sage, how could you!?'

"H-he did?"

"Yup! That musta been one heavy fever… Safe went up to check on you and saw you scratching and pinching yourself! Hard to imagine you would do all that to yourself, but it's not like you could help it!"

Sage… was that the truth, or had the blonde simply come up with a poor excuse for him? Ryo hadn't even noticed scratch marks before, having been more concerned with the gaping hole in his leg, but now that he thought about it, he could start to feel healing scratch marks under his shirt. And there's something else, too… if Sage had looked him over for scratches, why hadn't he noticed the wound o his leg? Sure, Sage was the modest type and wasn't one to go check out someone's naked body without their consent, but he was also very thorough. He and Rowen were both very detail-oriented in almost everything they pursued. There was very little that went on which Sage wasn't aware of, so what was going on? Why hadn't he looked?

Next to HIM, Kento shouted again, finally pleased that his team was starting to pull their weight and finally made a goal, but not until then was he reminded that things weren't as they should have been. Where were the others? He had been with them long enough to memorize their routines and aside from Kento, the guys weren't where they should have been. Kento was acting boisterous as usual, but by then, Sage would have come out to ask him to be quiet; Rowen would have snuck in and tackled Kento, starting a harmless wrestling match, and Kento would have called out to Cye—who would either be in the kitchen memorizing a new recipe in Mia's cookbook, or out tending to his organic tomato garden—to ask when lunch was. It was really odd. In the time since Ryo had been down there, Kento should have complained about food at least twice.

"Hey, Kento…" Ryo started almost hesitantly, earning the other boy's attention again and interrupting a wacky victory dance. "Where are the guys at?"

"Eh, they're around! Cye and Rowen went for a walk with White Blaze and Sage went for a drive!"

A drive, huh…? Where was he going? Was he out searching for Ryo's motorcycle, and if so, would he find it? Not knowing how he got home, himself, he couldn't be sure of his bike's whereabouts. If Sage found it still sitting out in front of that shabby shack, all broken up like Ryo remembered, then Ryo knew he had to be ready to explain himself. For the time being, however, he could rest easily and pretend like his whole world wasn't about to fall apart.


	9. Chapter 9

Sage knew something was up with Ryo; it was obvious, but for some reason, he couldn't figure things out. Usually the blonde could read any one of his friends like open books under a magnifying glass, but when he looked into Ryo's eyes before, there was little to read. Something definitely happened, but he was either hiding it very well…. Or maybe he didn't even know, himself. Amnesia? No, that wasn't very likely. Supposedly, his friend had merely brought his bike into town for repairs, even though Ryo was more than capable of fixing it up himself, and he often did. Cye would make a fuss about the oil and grease he would track through the house when he was done, and he'd put them all to work cleaning up the messes… As he drove, Sage took the liberty of calling emergency repair shops that Ryo frequented, but none of them had received his bike. It was possible that he had gone someplace Sage didn't know about, but even if he did, how did he get back home?

After discovering there leader was gone, he and Cye had stayed up into the wee hours waiting for him, but they hadn't seen him come in. They would have heard or seen a taxi, and if he'd waited for the repairs to finish, he would have driven his bike home with him. But it wasn't in the garage or anywhere to be found. His missing bike wasn't the worst of Sage's worries, however, as he had seen marks all over Ryo's chest… Sage was no idiot. He knew hickeys and scratches like that before, but where did Ryo get them, and from who? Ryo would never cheat on Mia, not even if she left him or ripped out his heart… Could someone have done that to him without his consent? Ryo was strong in will and strength, but if he was distraught, someone could have snuck up on him and taken advantage… if that was the case, Sage would make sure whoever did it suffered a long and painful death, indeed! He made a mental note to confront Ryo once he got back. But again, there was still one thing that bothered him greatly. In Cye's words "how the bloody hell did he get back unnoticed?" So many mysteries… but he was determined to solve them!

The first step was to find out what happened as soon as Ryo left the house. There were several roads leading away from there, but Sage knew that Ryo favored one in particular: A long, steep, downward winding road. Ryo wasn't the type to endanger himself, but he did enjoy the occasional thrill and testing his bike's limits, but in the bad weather, even Ryo would know better than to take that road… right? The rain would have made the pavement slippery and there was very little light to illuminate his path around sharp turns or to alert him of oncoming traffic. Even if though he'd navigated down that road a thousand times, there was always the possibility that something could happen. That's exactly what Sage was afraid of. So, he slowly made his way down the thankfully empty deathtrap known as highway 42. There wasn't a car for miles, which would make it easier for Sage to take his time in searching for evidence of trouble. As he slowly drove, he hoped in his heart that he was wrong; that he wouldn't find anything; that he would make it all the way into town to find a grumpy, impatient mechanic waiting for someone to pick up Ryo's motorcycle. However, Sage could not ignore a sickening, heavy feeling in his gut, a nagging feeling, and time has shown several times, when such a feeling wells up inside him, it wasn't good news he was heading for. Sure enough, as he rounded the next tight corner, two sets of skidmarks caught his eye- one belonging to a larger vehicle, possibly a truck, and the other… it was obvious that it was made by a motorcycle.

Deep down, Sage hoped it was just a coincidence- that another bike had lost control there, but as he left his car and walked the scene, he saw evidence that he could not deny. He saw shattered fiery red cover pieces, some bolts and ground down metal parts…but what took the cake was a broken license plate lying just a few feet away. The moment he saw it, Sage ran for it, dropping to his knees and wiping dirt off of it. There was no doubt about it… it was Ryo's! What was left of the broken plate read "LDFYR" a specially commissioned license that Ryo had taken time and money to get. It was meant to say "WILDFYR." That was it. It was all the evidence he needed. Ryo had crashed his bike, but as Sage continued the search, the rest of the bike was nowhere to be seen. Could Ryo have stashed it to hide the evidence of his recklessness? No, no, Ryo wouldn't do that! He wouldn't go so far as that… besides, his bike was his baby! Perhaps he really did take it in for repairs, merely leaving out the reason why it was busted in the first place. Still no… Even after that, Sage had only uncovered part of the mystery! What was he missing? No matter how much or how long he thought about it, tried to put the puzzle together, it was no use. There were still pieces missing, preventing him from understanding. With a sigh, Sage stuffed the license plate in his pocket and returned to the car. He needed to confront Ryo personally.

On the couch, back in their cozy home, Ryo was fidgeting. Desperately, he was trying to focus on the movie Kento had put in, rather than the pain which was again rising deep in his injured leg. The booming base from the speakers could not overpower the pounding pain forming in his body. It felt like a muscle cramp, only 50 times worse! For a while, Ryo wondered if he was bleeding out, but he was too anxious to look. Thankfully, if he was bleeding, the pillow on his lap would conceal it. Kento was so enthralled in his flick that he was oblivious to what was going on just a foot away from him, which Ryo was thankful for. The last thing he wanted was a big brother type like Kento fussing over him. …Or maybe that's EXACTLY what he wanted and needed…. Minutes ticked by slower than a snail stuck in a puddle of molasses and the pain was only getting worse the more he thought about it. His jaw hurt from clenching, biting back the pain, but he was just about to give in and let it all out when the front door opened suddenly… and in walked Sage. Ryo's body instinctively stiffened but Kento looked back calmly, completely unaware. Sage had a hand inside one of his deep pockets, apparently fingering something that neither onlooker could make heads or tails of. Sage seemed calm and collected as usual, but Ryo could see past his facade in an instant… it was time.

"Ryo, can we talk? Alone?" Without waiting for Ryo to even respond, Sage was gone, down a long hallway which led to the den, deep inside the large house. "What did Sage find?" Ryo wondered… but no, it didn't matter. The look in his eyes was unmistakable: he'd been found out. Knowing that keeping Sage waiting would only worsen his situation, he removed the pillow from his lap- slowly at first to check for blood, which there was none- and taking a deep breath, he pushed himself up. For some reason, the pain had stopped, and as Ryo stood there, he was grateful. Maybe he was getting better, and not thinking about the pain was good medicine. Ryo sighed, taking it as a blessing and slowly made his way to meet the other.

All too soon, however, Ryo knew that getting up and walking was a mistake. Before he got a quarter of the way down the hall, the pain in his leg returned, hitting him with full force and nearly sending him to the floor. Biting back a sharp hiss, Ryo braced himself against the wall and stayed there for a moment just gasping. The room was spinning… This wasn't good at all. Kento was so fixated on his movie that he wouldn't hear Ryo even if he screamed at the top of his lungs- which was a very tempting idea- so the only thing he could do would be to keep moving, in hopes of making it to Sage. He needed help…

It took time, more than he thought it should have, but finally- using the wall to keep himself steady- Ryo made it to the den. He leant against the doorframe, lightly panting and looked in to see Sage resting calmly and comfortably in an armchair by the window, hands folded neatly in his lap. Sage, ever the picture of perfection… but the bright light shining in behind him made his figure look…. intimidating.

"Ryo, I don't want you to lie to me… to us anymore."

"Sage…" Ryo could tell that Sage was disappointed in him, but his expression wasn't necessarily angry. His face was a mesh of emotions that was difficult to completely sort through. Ryo found his eyes drifting downward to Sage's pocket, where he knew an item was that would spell his doom and reveal his secrets. Ryo couldn't run or hide anymore… he was hurt and guilty….it was time to give in. In a soft, meek voice, he finally spoke.

"Sage, I'm sorry… I don't like lying… I just didn't know what to do…"

"Well…" Sage began, rising from his seat. "You can start by telling the truth. You didn't bring your bike to a shop- I checked."

"…You're right… I didn't."

"And as to the reason why it needed repairs…." Sage finally dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the license plate, showing it to Ryo. Ryo's eyes widened slightly at seeing the state of his precious license plate, but they closed soon after, looking away from it. But it wasn't only his guilt weighing him down, it was the pain as well. Sage set the plate down on an end table before taking a step closer and continuing.

"You're too impulsive, Ryo… I can't believe you would do something so careless as driving in a storm! What were you thinking?"

"I-I'm sorry…! I was confused and upset… I just wanted to clear my head!"

"By racing down that deathtrap in the dark and rain? You need to _think_, Ryo!"

The intense lecture was starting to make Ryo's head pound along with his leg and standing upright was just making everything worse. His body shook and it was getting hard to think and even to breathe, but Sage was still lecturing and Ryo just couldn't bring himself to interrupt him. So, Ryo listened to the lecture occasionally whispering a meek "I'm sorry" until Sage finally sighed and stopped. He opened his eyes, his frustrations temporarily sated, but the strained expression on Ryo's face was troubling. Had he gone too far…? To try and lessen the blow, he took a step closer, voice softening.

"I'm not trying to be mean, Ryo… I just want you to understand that you don't have to hide things from us… you can trust us with anything… So please don't cry…"

"It…. it's not like that…" Ryo had reached his limit, voice cracking.

"…? Ryo…?" Weakly, Ryo did the only thing he could… let go of the doorframe, take a step… and let gravity take over.

"S-Sage…" Ryo's body tipped forward, no longer able to support him. Shocked, Sage stepped into action immediately, jaunting forward to catch him. Ryo's body seemed unnaturally heavy lying limply in his arms… He seemed to frail and weak and Sage could feel his labored breath against his chest, hands weakly trying to grip his shirt. Sage's heart sped up in alarm.

"Ryo? Ryo, What's wrong?" Sage slowly lowered his friend to the floor and held him in his lap, waiting as Ryo opened his eyes weakly, body trembling.

"Ryo, answer me…!"

"S-Sage… I.. I hurt my leg… when I crashed…"

"Your leg…?"

"Y-yeah… Sage, it hurts so much…" Ryo was nearly in tears, Sage could see that, so he outstretched his hand to feel along the leg Ryo was favoring before until he found the injury- as signaled by Ryo's sharp intake of breath. Immediately, Sage felt guilty. He had noticed the smaller wounds on Ryo's neck and chest, but he opted not to do a full body checkup. If only he'd looked sooner, his friend wouldn't be in so much pain… Holding Ryo tightly against him, Sage gathered energy into his hand and a light green glow emanated from it as he poured his energy into Ryo hoping to stop the pain at the very least. It took a few minutes, but finally Ryo's facial features began to soften and his breathing evened out more. Once he was sure his friend was more comfortable- despite looking as though he was on the brink of unconsciousness- Sage pulled his hand back and lightly shook him.

"Ryo… can you hear me?" A soft call of his name was his reply. Ryo was exhausted and weak… he needed rest. Sage knew that, but… he still needed to know…

"Ryo… Tell me…. Who did this to you…? Those marks…" He only got muttered words, incoherent. Sage knew Ryo wouldn't cheat… he must have been taken advantage of… but Ryo wasn't about to say who. So he went to the other question buzzing around his busy, curious mind.

"Ryo… how did you get home… without your bike?"

"Home…?"

"Yes, Ryo… tell me… how did you get here?" It took Ryo a moment to think before his eyes softly opened.

"Don't… know…. Thought… one of you picked me up…."

"Us? But we didn't-" Before he could answer, something out front seemed to explode, causing a racket and making the mansion shake. Sage lifted his head and held onto Ryo tighter until the shaking stopped. When it did, Kento appeared in the doorway already donned in subarmor.

"Sage, we got unwelcome guests!" No… not an attack… not now! Sage looked down at their weary leader, but there was no way he could go out there and fight off the warlords… So Sage rose, set a pillow under his head, and left with Kento to face the threat alone. Where were the other guys when they needed them…?


End file.
